Apparatus for treatment with solvents



Nov. 20, 1956 T. J. KEARNEY APPARATUS ToR TREATMENT WITH SOLVENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 12, 1954 IN VEN TORI T/flas J." Map/20 2 BY all @L ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 20, 1956 T. J. KEARNEY.

APPARATUS FOR TREATMENT] WITH SOLVENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 12, 1954 m mmvrozz:

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APPARATUS FOR TREATMENT WITH SOLVENTS Thomas J. Kearney, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Detrex Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application October 12, 1954, Serial No. 461,871

3 Claims. Cl. 13460) This invention relates to apparatus for treating a work object. More specifically, it is concerned with hand operated apparatus for cleaning and degreasing intricately formed metal parts, as for example, cutters for electric razors, hypodermic needles and deep drilled parts, through the combined application of heated chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents and ultrasonic energy.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved hand operated mechanism for cleaning and degreasing a work object with ultrasonic energy in a liquid solvent.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, including the simplicity and economy of the same, will be understood from the detailed description to follow, throughout which reference is made to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 represents a view in front elevation of a cleaning apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 represents an end view of the apparatus taken as indicated by the lines and arrows II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 represents a view of the opposite end of the apparatus as indicated by the lines and arrows IIIIH appearing in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 represents a view in rear elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Turning now to the drawings and the specific form of the invention selected for illustration therein, the cleaning apparatus comprises a housing 11, which may be of sheet metal, in the lower portion of which are serially arranged a boiling well 12 and an ultrasonic well 13 separated by an overflow dam 14. A liquid solvent, preferably a chlorinated hydrocarbon liquid such as trichlorethylene, is normally maintained at a level L1 in boiling well 12 and is constantly boiled by the action of a submerged heating coil 15, the ends of which are supported in a removable cleanout door 16 at 17 and 18. Arranged over the heating coil 15 is a work rest 19 on which the work object to be cleaned is placed during the boiling step of the process.

The ultrasonic well 13 is kept filled with liquid solvent to a level indicated at L2, and disposed within said well near the bottom are ultrasonic vibration means 20 which may be of the form disclosed in the co-pending patent application of Thomas I. Kearney, Serial No. 435,888, filed June 10, 1954. Arranged above the ultrasonic vibration means 20 is a work rest 21 on which the work object is placed for ultrasonic cleaning.

The solvent vapors generated in boiling well 12 rise within housing 11 and are condensed by a cooling jacket 22 which completely surrounds housing 11 at a level above the surface of the liquid solvent but well below the top of housing 11. A coolant (which may be water) is circulated within the jacket 22 which condenses the rising solvent vapors and prevents the escape of said vapors through the open top of housing 11. The open top of housing 11 provides an access through which the work object is passed to the wells 12 and 13 for cleaning. The condensed vapors are collected in a trough 23 which extends entirely around the interior of the housing 11 below the cooling jacket 22. From trough 23, the condensed 2,771,086 Patented Nov. 20, 1956 vapors are conducted through a conduit 24 into a condensate receiver 25 for storage and cooling. Upon reaching a predetermined height, excess condensate overflows through a conduit 26 into ultrasonic well 13. This excess condensate introduced into the ultrasonic well 13 causes the solvent in well 13 to overflow dam 14 into boiling well 12 where the solvent vapors are formed and given 011 to be subsequently condensed, cooled and returned to the boiling well, thus maintaining a continuous solvent cycle.

The condensate that does not pass through conduit 26 is drawn from condensate receiver 25 through a conduit 27 and a valve 28 by a centrifugal pump 29 and thence conducted through a conduit 30 into the housing 11 at 31, and through flexible conduit 32 to spray lance 33 having a nozzle 34 and a handle 35. This spray lance 33 is used to flush the condensed clean distilled solvent over the work object to remove any loosely afiixed dirt particles remaining thereon. The flexible conduit 32 permits moving the spray lance 33 to any desired position to accomplish the said flushing.

For the purpose of keeping the liquid solvent within ultrasonic well 13 clean, there is provided a filter system which comprises a conduit 36 leading from the bottom of well 13 through the housing 11, a valve 37, a conduit 38, a pump 39,,belt driven by a motor 40, a conduit 41, a filter 42, a conduit 43, a valve 44, and a conduit which re turns to the bottom of well 13 through the housing 11. The liquid solvent in ultrasonic well 13 is constantly circulated through and cleaned by this filter system during the operation of the apparatus.

Two curved barium titanate transducers 46 and 47 are mounted in the bottom of ultrasonic well 13 in a manner such as shown in co-pending application, Serial No. 435,- 888, filed on June 10, 1954. The temperature of the solvent in well 13 is maintained below that of the solvent in well 12 by diverting the hot condensate through the condensate receiver 25 and by circulating the solvent of well 13 through the filtering system. There is a further diversion and cooling of solvent through the spray system. Transducers 46, 47 beam ultrasonic energy through the liquid solvent contained in well 13. Power is supplied to transducers 46 and 47 by an electric oscillator unit 48 (Fig. 2) through electrical conductors 49 which enter housing 11 through fitting 50 and pass downwardly into ultrasonic well 13 to transducers 46, 47.

Fig. 4 illustrates the drain conduit 51 and its associated valves 52 and 53. Drain conduit 51 leads from the bottom of wells 13 and 12 to a liquid solvent storage tank (not shown) and permits the draining of said wells and the storage of said liquid when the apparatus is not in use.

Fig. 3 illustrates the apparatus and conduits associated with submerged heating coil 15. The steam passes through a conduit 55, a steam pressure reducer 56, a hydramotovalve 57, a pop-off valve 58, a gauge 59 and a conduit 60 to removable cleanout door 16 and 18.

A lid 61 is provided to cover the open top of housing 11 when the apparatus is not in use. Extending downwardly from lid 61 is a spray lance support 62 which supports spray lance 33 when the apparatus is not being operated.

A work object to be cleaned in the hereinbefore described apparatus is first immersed in the boiling solvent of well 12 where it is placed on work rest 19. Then the work object is removed from well 12 and immersed in the solvent of ultrasonic well 13 and is supported therein by work rest 21. While submerged in the solvent of well 13, the work object is subjected to the ultrasonic energy transmitted through the solvent for a period of time sufiicient to accomplish the required cleaning. The work object is then removed from the ultrasonic well 13 and a The work object is then held in the vapors present between the surface of the liquid and jacket 22 for a final solvent vapor rinse and then dried before removal from the apparatus.

Various other processes of cleaning may be used with the apparatus'of this invention. For example, in one such process, the work object is not immersed'in the liquid solvent of boiling well 12, but instead is positioned in the hot solvent vapors rising from said well. In another method of cleaning, the work object is subjected to a spray of solvent condensate prior to being immersed in ultrasonic well 13.

Where the ultimate in cleaning of the solvent condensate and removal of solids therefrom is required, the solvent condensate is passed through a micron or smaller filter (not shown) to eliminate dust picked up by the condensate, preventing said dust from being deposited thereby on the work object,

The transducers 47 can be arranged in any desired position, in parallel or in series, or on a side of the wall in a vertical position for special applications or specific sized or shaped parts.

it is to be understood that the form of the invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred embodiment. Various changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement of parts. Equivalent elements may be substituted for those described herein, parts may be reversed, and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently of the use of other features, all without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Apparatus for treating a work object with a chlorinated hydrocarbon comprising, a housing, a boiling well mounted within the housing and containing a liquid chlorinated hydrocarbon, heating means arranged to boil said liquid to form a vapor, an ultrasonic well mounted within the housing and containing a liquid chlorinated hydrocarbon, a piezoelectric transducer submerged in the liquid of the ultrasonic well and adapted for emitting ultrasonic energy, said transducer being energized by an electrical circuit independent of said liquid, an overflow dam positioned between said boiling and ultrasonic wells and adapted for allowing said liquid to overflow from said ultrasonic Well into said boiling well, cooling means positioned on the housing above said wells for condensing said vapor into a condensate, collecting means mounted beneath said cooling means for catching said condensate, condensate receiver means connected to said collecting means for storing said condensate, and conduit means connecting said condensate receiver means with said ultrasonic well, whereby a continuous circulating cycle is maintained, said liquid being vaporized in the boiling well, then condensed, collected, stored and returned to the ultrasonic well, then overflowing into the boiling well to again be vaporized, a spray lance having a spray nozzle, and flexible conduit means connecting said condensate receiver means with said spray lance whereby to feed said condensate to said spray nozzle for flushing over the work object and returning said condensate to said wells.

2. In apparatus for cleaning a work object by treatment with a chlorinated hydrocarbon, a housing; a boiling well within the housing containing a liquid chlorinated hydrocarbon and heating means whereby to boil said liquid to give oif a vapor; a work rest on which the work object is placed in the boiling well, said work rest being submerged in the liquid of said boiling well; an ultrasonic well within the housing containing solvent which is subjected to ultrasonic energy; a second work rest on which the work object is placed in the ultrasonic well, said second work rest being submerged in the liquid of said ultrasonic well; an overflow dam between said boiling and said ultrasonic well adapted to permit solvent to overflow to the boiling from the ultrasonic well; a cooling jacket positioned on the housing above the said wells adapted to condense the said vapors into a condensate; a collecting means mounted on the housing beneath said cooling jacket adapted to catch the said condensate; condensate receiver means in which the condensate is stored; conduit means connecting said condensate receiver means with said ultrasonic well whereby a continuous circulating cycle is maintained; a liquid being vaporized in the boiling well, then condensed and returned to the ultrasonic well, then overflowing into the boiling well to again be vaporized; a spray lance having a spray nozzle, and flexible conduit means connecting said condensate receiver means with said spray lance whereby to feed said condensate to said spray nozzle for flushing over the work object and returning said condensate to said wells.

3. Apparatus for ultrasonically degreasing a work object by treatment with a chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent comprising a housing; a boiling well within the housing containing said solvent; heating means positioned within said boiling well beneath the surface of said solvent whereby to boil said solvent to give ofl a solvent vapor; a work rest on which the work object is placed in the boiling well, said work rest being positioned below the surface of the solvent in said boiling well to subject the work object while placed on the work rest to-the action of the solvent while boiling; an ultrasonic well within the housing containing said solvent, the solvent within the ultrasonic well being maintained at a temperature below boilingand at a level above the level of the solvent in said boiling well; ultrasonic means located in the ultrasonic well below the surface of the solvent; a second work rest on which the work object is placed in the ultrasonic well, said second work rest being submerged in the solvent of said ultrasonic well and being positioned to subject the work object to the action of said ultrasonic means; an overflow clam separating said ultrasonic and boiling wells and adapted to permit solvent to overflow from the higher level of the ultrasonic well to the lower level of the boiling well; a cooling jacket positioned on the housing above the said wells adapted to condense the solvent vapors emitted by the boiling well; a collecting means mounted within the housing beneath said cooling jacket adapted to catch the condensed solvent; condensate receiver means, mounted outside the housing and connecting with said collecting means, wherein the condensed vapors are stored and cooled; a spray lance positioned within the housing above the Wells, connecting means including a pump and a flexible conduit between said condensate receiver means and said spray lance; said ultrasonic well having an inclined bottom; a filter means positioned outside the housing; conduit means including a pump leading from the lower portion of said inclined bottom of the ultrasonic well, through said filter means to filter and cool the solvent, and back to said ultrasonic well; wherein the solvent is boiled in the boiling well to emit solvent vapor, condensed by said cooling jacket, collected by said collecting means, cooled and stored by said condensate receiver means, sprayed on the work object above said ultrasonic well and returned to said well, subjected to ultrasonic action within the ultrasonic well, withdrawn from said ultrasonic well, filtered, and returned to said ultrasonic well, and passed over said overflow dam from the ultrasonic well into the boiling well, thus completing the solvent cycle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,583,710 Welch May 4, 1926 2,153,577 Levine Apr. 11, 1939 2,447,840 Boss Aug. 24, 1948 2,616,820 Bourgeaux Nov. 4, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 548,960 Great Britain Oct. 30, 1942 

